'Flush granny' or a better way to cremate?

CONCORD - The House Wednesday preliminarily approved a new method of cremation that supporters say is cheaper and more environmentally sound, but opponents liken to "flushing granny down the sewer."

House Bill 316 would allow the process of alkaline hydrolysis to be used by funeral homes to reduce bodies to bone fragments and a water-potassium hydroxide solution.

The issue has been before lawmakers several times. Legislators allowed the practice in 2006, but when someone wanted to use the process the next year, it was banned. A bill in 2009 attempted to lift the ban, but failed.

Opponents of the bill described in detail what happens to a loved one's remains, saying it destroys the dignity of the deceased.